Return from Quilt Retreat

Of course I have not made any progress in knitting. All my focus was on quilting this week as I was at a Quilt Retreat in the Ohio Amish Country the past 5 days. I had such a great time, and it was just what I needed to rejuvenate, and get my creativity back. I also made some new friends, which I am very happy about. You can never have too many friends just too bad that they are not living close by, and our main communication source will be via Internet. But the good thing is, we made plans to see each other again in a few months. I am already looking forward to it.

If you look back 2 weeks you will see the before pictures of my Retreat Projects. Below you see that I finally caught up with Pat Sloan's Vacation Time BOM she is hosting on her Blog. I am looking forward to next months direction on how to put it all together. The picture is a little dark, and I do not know why, because I did use a flash. However, I used Batiks and for the background fabric I stuck with white on white, because I think it makes the Batiks really shine. Besides, for a Vacation Time quilt I thought bright would be quite appropriate.

I also finished my purse. You saw the supplies all cut up in a Zip Lock bag, and that is where they have been for about 2 years. I toted it around with me from Retreat to Retreat, but then always found something that interested me more, and so it just never was finished. But this retreat I made it my first priority before I could get side tracked again. I think it turned out nice.

I do not have a picture of the Block Exchange blocks yet. Although I worked on it, I did not have time to complete it. So I will post pictures when I get it completed, however that might be a little while.

Now my little Holiday is over, and I have to return to work. I am not really looking forward to it, because it sucks the life out of me and kills my creative streak. But I have started the Leadership program at work, and hope that a position will open up soon. Currently I can not bid into another job, because I will be stuck for 12 months there until I can bid out. Right now I just want to be available and ready to bid into a job when it becomes available, and not miss an opportunity should it present itself. So, nose to the grind stone, and dream of better days.

This weeks Happening

Today we went to the1st Birthday Party for my Great-Niece, Riley. She is just so adorable and cute. We had a great time. It was also good to see some of the family again. We seem to only get together for special occasions, and that is not very often. But alas, we are all busy people, so it makes it difficult to sync up every ones schedule.

We have a thunder storm moving in now, so I thought I take some pictures of my most beautiful flowers I have left this summer. I think though that the storm will really help to cool down these scorching temperatures some, and hopefully bring in a slow and steady rain.

I am still knitting on the second sock of my Bird Walk. I also started this Cardigan. This picture is from Interweave Knits Fall 2015. This issue has so many cool patterns, I hope to make a few of them.

 

This weekend I have to finish packing up my sewing room and my clothes for Quilt Retreat. Wednesday morning I am headed to the Amish Country for 5 wonderful days with my friends. I am really excited to spend that time with them.

At work there is some serious change looming. Starting October 1st, we are switching to a new Diagnosis code. This change is exciting and scary. Exciting, because it is more accurate than the current one, and scary, because it is important for billing purposes to have the exact diagnosis code or the claim will be denied, which results in not getting payment from the Insurance Company. Also I have been accepted in the Leadership program, and start training on Tuesday. This is bringing change with it too. It might bring some changes to my current job, or hopefully even a promotion in the future with a hefty raise. At least this is what I am hoping for and signed up for.

Feeling Inspired!!!

I am feeling very inspired to create. I attribute this feeling to two things that happened to me. First off, I checked my Calendar and realized I have 10 days until I am going to Quilt Retreat, and the thought of spending a long weekend quilting, talking, and creating with my friends just sparks creativity in me. It also motivates me to create. The second thing is, I talked to my very good friend, Carolyn. It seems it does not matter what we talk about, but time spent talking with her always gets me into the creative mood. In this last case we just caught up on our families and each other job happenings.  But for some reason, this made me think up some things I want to knit and quilt.

This time  around I thought I would take some pre-retreat pictures.



 

 

Above you see the first sock of my current knitting project. The patter is called Bird walk and you  can find the pattern on Ravelry.com. I bought the yarn on one of my recent trips to Jacksonville, Florida, when I visited my daughter. The coloration just reminds me on the different shades of the ocean when you stand at the end of the Pier and see for a vast distance. I started on the second sock this morning, and hopefully will get that done this week.

 

This is one of my projects I will take to retreat. I had this purse cut out and ready to go for quite a while. But I am determined that it will be the first project I will work in this retreat. I need a new purse, and this has nice fall colors, just in time for the changing season.

This project is a Block of the Months by Pat Sloan. It is called Vacation Time and the pattern is available on her blog. I am a little bit behind, but that is quite alright, I have the pattern instructions saved on my lab top, and will be able to catch up on this at retreat. I think this might be my second project, because I am not sure when the block exchange will be, and that might make the exchange my last project.

 

These are my exchange blocks for the fall exchange we agreed on last year. There are 12 of us participating. So I came up with a design to assemble the top in, and that would be on-point. I cut out the other fabric that I will need for this quilt, and hope that I will be able to get it all pieced together on that long weekend. The finished quilt will be a Queen sized quilt, and I will have to ask Carolyn to quilt it for me, because my frame will not be large enough for it. I really have to learn a quilt as you go method. But not on this project, but it is a future goal.

Now of course I still have to plan on what clothing to pack, and what kind of food I would like to make for retreat. But I have until Friday to figure that out, that is when it is my grocery shopping day and I have to be decided on what groceries I need to buy. Next week I will keep checking on the weather in Berlin, OH, and see what kind of clothing I need to pack for my trip. Knowing the Ohio Amish Country, layers will be my best friend.

Some News!!!

I have not been blogging for a long time. I just feel I am too busy or too tired to blog after spending all day on the Computer at work. But lets be honest. We make time for things that are important to us. I just need to make blogging a priority again in my life, because I really enjoy it. I have a lot to say, although it might be meaningless to every one but myself. That being said, I guess we best dive right in.

I have news on the Career. I have been accepted into the Leadership program offered  by my Employer. This will qualify me to move up the Career Ladder after completion should I so desire, and of course, if a position is available. I am really looking forward to learning something new, meeting new people, and networking some.

On the Healthy Living, I have been walking more. I mean a lot more. I usually got about 5000 steps in daily, now I am walking an average of 10000 steps daily. You may wonder, how did all this come about? Well, my hospital system has adopted the Walk with a Doc program. A doctor from our system has started to get together a group of people every Saturday morning for an one hour walk around town. I went in hopes to meet new like minded people. I did not expect every one to be in top form.  I went there, and I was the fat one. Secretly I was hoping that maybe someone bigger than me would be there, and I could just attach myself to them, and walk at a slower pace. But no, I was the one. Once the realization hit, I wondered how this happened. So for the first half hour of the walk I was mentally beating myself up for letting myself get there. But then my inner warrior came out, and I decided that this is it, and I am getting serious about doing something about that. So I am consistently walking every day at lunch break, and then again on the treadmill at home. My goal is 10000 steps daily, because that is the recommended step count for leading an active life. I have not lost weight, and a lot of that has to do with me not having adjusted my diet yet, but nonetheless, I feel better for it.

Off course all the walking does not leave much time for sitting at the sewing machine, but I still finished a quilt last month. It is a Quilt in a Day pattern, and took be about 2 years to sew. Then my wonderful friend, Carolyn, machine quilted it for me. I just love the wonderful job she did on it.

Now knitting comes a little easier, but that is the nature of the beast. Knitting is just more portable, and easier to take to the porch swing on a nice Summer evening. So for the past few weeks, when I had time I worked on my Vest. I used Berrocco yarn and a DROPS pattern.

Pillow Cases for Charity

These are the Pillow Cases I made for this years Quilt Retreat. Every year we collect Pillow Cases for a charity at the Quilt Retreat, this year I decided to be part of it, and this is my contribution.

This year I will take my blue and white swap blocks with me and get the top sewn. I will also take my Beach themed quilt with me. I have a purse cut out that I hope to complete. I will also take my jelly rolls with me and see if I will be able to start on the radiant star quilt this time around. If not that is OK, at least I will have some projects I have completed and progressed on. I don't plan on buying any fabric this year, but if something jumps out at me, of course I will give it a home. But I really need to use the fabric I have here at the house. There is no point in having this beautiful fabric lay in totes rather than on beds and sofas.

Time to really get cracking

Organization:
My living room is almost done with the whole organizing and clutter removal. I have one little drawer left. You would think it is not that difficult to take care of it, but it has some things in it, I am not quite sure what to do with. Do I keep them and actually use them? Do I keep them just to have them? Do I get them out of my house? It is not easy to make these decisions with some items.
Once I get that done, which will be in the course of this week, I will attack my Guest Bedroom. Since my daughter moved out a year ago I started using the closet for storage,  but not things that are actually needed, just things I had no idea what to do with it. So I will empty the closet, get rid of the clutter, because none of the stuff in there has been used in the past year. Then install a closet shelving system, and store my quilts, blankets, and sheets in there. Also use the hanging part for my scrubs for work. That will automatically free up my closet in the basement for the winter coats.

Health:
I have been making some changes lately in my eating, and have managed to not gain weight. I have not lost any either, but at least I stayed the same. What I do now is, that I pack my lunch for work, it saves money and calories. It is hard sometimes to say no to take out, but I feel more energized with it. Now with the weather getting better I will be spending more time working outside, and also walking the dogs. They did not like me dragging them through the cold snow, but now they get excited about our walks again. Keeping this routine up regularly all four of us should be able to drop a few pounds, my three fur babies and I.

Home:
I am getting excited to plan out what I will plant this year as Vegetable and Flowers. I have not quite decided on things yet, but those seed catalogs and pinterest are not making any easier for me. But now since the last bit of snow is gone, the clean up is starting. On the nice days when the rain let off I am working on getting the yard cleaned up and ready for the spring again. So I wear my stylish rubber boots, and out in to the wet and muddy yard I go. But it is just so nice to be able to be outside again.

Knitting and Crochet:
I am working on 2 projects at this time. I am knitting a yellow lace cardigan for myself to wear on those cooler summer evenings and mornings. I am also crocheting a pink lace cardigan which I am very excited about. It will also be a nice little cover up for the cooler times of summer.

 

Now to prove that I have not been completely lazy for the past 2.5 months, I have actually something to show. These socks I knitted in January. I used Knit Picks Palette yarn. One ball makes one pair of short socks in my size.

 

During the last big snow storm in the beginning of March I crochet this winter set. So come next winter I am well covered.

Quilting:
In February I escaped for one week to my daughters house in Florida, and bought some awesome beach themed fabric. Currently I am working on that quilt. It is slow progress, because it has a lot of HST. I decided to make them over sized and then trim them to size so my quilt will be as accurate as possible. That is of course the hold up. I make them in batches, as to not get overwhelmed.

 

This is the Hunter Star I made during retreats the last few times. It is a nice lab quilt, and I am very excited to have it done. The finished blocks are 6inch square. Now I am excited about next Quilt Retreat, because Sue and Susan who introduced me to the amazing Rapid Fire Hunter Star Ruler will be there, and there is no telling what they will introduce this time around.

This is a cat themed quilt I made for my daughter in Florida, and took to her in February. She is a cat lady in the making. She just loves being with her beautiful cat, and gets great joy from that precious animal when she gets home after a long day at work. She was very excited to have this cat themed quilt.

Well this is it for now. I hope tell more again next time, and hopefully not take such a long time to blog again. See you all soon.

The New Year Comes With New Plans

I have not been very diligent in posting my achievements. I am sorry, I did not even take a picture of the Baby Quilt for my Nephew's Baby. Well, but they really loved the quilt.

So here are some plans I have for the New Year, because 2014 was a "fly by the seat of my pants" kind of year. I don't like being disorganized and feeling like I am chasing my own tail all the time. So for 2015 Organization is my key word.

1. The whole work and home thing needs to be balanced. So I will get more organized with keeping up with my home, and not do these power cleaning sessions every weekend. One important step toward that is, to de-clutter my home. I looked carefully at my home the last few weeks, and saw that I have too much stuff I really don't love that much. So getting things out of the way will make it easier to keep everything clean and neat even after a long day at work.

2. I will get more organized with a healthy and balanced life style. I will make time to plan my menu and if need be cook ahead. A lot of times with the long work days we grab quick take out food. I would like that to be an occasional thing, not the norm. Nobody can feel good and energetic on take-out food. I will also make regular time for exercise. I already worked on this during the month of December, and can make time to go to my exercise room, and take some time to myself. I found out that I have my most creative thoughts while exercising. It is amazing how great ideas come to my mind once the blood flow is established.

3. I will make time to relax with some yarn and fabric. I just don't make time to sit and knit or quilt, because I feel guilty about all the other things that need done. A lot of times I get side tracked on Facebook too. So I will make the time and just relax with some "Fiber Therapy", renew  my spirit, and maybe get a project or two done.

4. I will also communicate more effectively on the Computer. Just getting caught up reading Facebook messages is not communication. So I will use my Computer time to communicate, not to waste time. After all, it is not very relaxing to read FB. But it is very relaxing and educational to read articles, or instructions on how-to do new knitting or quilting technique.

5. I will meet the deadlines on my CEUs (Continuing Education Units) for my re-certification. I get a CEU opportunity every 2 months and this year I will use all of them. Due to being so disorganized in 2014, I did not use them all, and feel quite guilty about it. So I will further myself professionally in 2015 by keeping up with the educational part.

Now I don't think my goals are too lofty or unattainable. I think with a little planning and discipline I should get a good handle on my issues. I will however keep up with my progress on here. This will keep me accountable, and perhaps someone has some hints or tips on how to improve on things.